Apprenticeships have been part of Hunterlodge for many years, and during that time we’ve seen both the apprenticeship route and the advertising industry change considerably.
For us, apprenticeships have been a really good way of bringing people into the industry. We’ve seen people join Hunterlodge at the very start of their careers, complete their apprenticeship and go on to build careers in advertising and media – some with us and some elsewhere.
Our involvement in apprenticeships goes back some way. Our CEO and Founder, Rob Hunter, helped create Creative Pioneers, an IPA initiative launched to open up new routes into advertising and the creative industries for young people. He had also been involved with the IPA’s Professional Development Group, which he later chaired.
Rob went on to chair the industry group that developed the Advertising and Media Apprenticeship Standard, working alongside employers to help shape what apprentices learn and ensure the standard reflects the skills agencies actually need.
What we’ve seen at Hunterlodge
One of the things we’ve always liked about the apprenticeship route is how quickly people get real experience.
Our apprentices aren’t watching from the sidelines. They work with our teams, get involved with clients and campaigns and learn the systems and platforms they’ll actually use in their careers.
Alongside completing their qualification, they’re learning the everyday things that come with working in an agency – dealing with deadlines, asking questions, working with different teams and gradually taking on more responsibility.
We’ve seen apprentices grow in confidence and develop their skills as they move through the programme, and we’ve also learned a lot ourselves about how best to support people taking their first steps into the industry.
Keeping pace with the industry
The roles people are coming into now are very different from those our first apprentices entered.
Digital and social media have developed rapidly, data plays a much bigger role and, more recently, AI has started to change some of the tasks traditionally carried out by people at the beginning of their careers.
The apprenticeship has had to develop alongside those changes, which is why continued input from employers and the wider industry is important.
But what hasn’t really changed is the value of giving someone the opportunity to learn while actually doing the job.
Where are they now?
This is probably the part of our apprenticeship story we haven’t shared enough.
Over the years, we’ve had a number of apprentices start their careers at Hunterlodge and then take very different paths.
So, as we look back over more than a decade of apprenticeships, we’re catching up with some of our former apprentices to find out what they remember about the experience, what they took from it and what they’re doing now.
Apprenticeship stories
Read Reshana’s story
From apprentice to Performance Consultant: Reshana’s story
Reshana joined Hunterlodge as an apprentice in 2018. She went on to progress through the media team to become Head of Performance and today works with Hunterlodge as a Performance Consultant. We caught up with her about where it all started.
When did you join Hunterlodge, and which apprenticeship did you complete? What attracted you to it?
I joined Hunterlodge in June 2018 and completed the Digital Marketer Level 3 apprenticeship.
What attracted me most was how thorough it was. The learning and practical skills covered such a wide range and felt really well-rounded.
What do you remember most clearly about your first few weeks?
I remember everyone being so warm and friendly – I truly felt very welcomed.
I attended so many meetings that went completely over my head but left me feeling inspired to learn. The conversations were fascinating to be a part of.
The days were so wonderfully varied and I interacted with so many people, which really accelerated my learning.
What did you enjoy most about learning while working? Was there a project, client or moment that made you feel you were finding your feet?
Being able to learn something and then pretty quickly put that knowledge to the test in real-world scenarios.
I remember feeling like I was finding my feet after my first solo client presentation. There were lots of nerves and adrenaline on my side, but I loved it. This was for Lektronix, if I’m remembering correctly.
Who helped you develop, and what did you learn from them?
Genuinely, everyone – both internally and clients too.
My fellow digital media execs at the time taught me so much, including how to create PPC structures, implement conversion tracking and report effectively.
Dan and Jenn were great at demonstrating how to remain cool, calm and collected under pressure and navigate tricky situations.
I learnt organisation skills and meeting etiquette from our account management team, and clients taught me so much about the intricacies of their businesses.
What skills or confidence did the apprenticeship give you at the start of your career? Is there anything you still use today?
My apprenticeship gave me the skills and confidence to think outside the box and question things if I was unsure or didn’t agree.
I still use techniques I learnt around methodical problem-solving: identifying the issue, examining potential causes, determining how to package the information for colleagues and clients, and recommending solutions and next steps.
What did you go on to do after the apprenticeship, and what are you doing now? What are you proudest of along the way?
After the apprenticeship, I continued progressing through the media team and went on to become Head of Performance.
I’m currently a Performance Consultant for Hunterlodge, assisting with team and department development.
I’m proud of how I’ve navigated challenges, risen to occasions and pushed myself miles outside my comfort zone with client pitches, presentations and participating in the IPA’s Speakers’ Cup competition.
Looking back, did the apprenticeship take your career somewhere you hadn’t expected?
I didn’t expect to progress so quickly, while continuously feeling like I was learning something new most days, which is great.
My career took me into management and leadership roles, which I hadn’t expected.
What would you say to someone considering an advertising or media apprenticeship today?
I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s incredibly rewarding. You’ll learn so much so quickly and enjoy almost every minute of it.
Read Joe’s story
From apprentice to Australia: Joe’s story
Joe joined Hunterlodge as an apprentice in 2019 and has been part of the agency ever since. Today, he’s continuing his career with Hunterlodge from rather further afield – Australia.
When did you join Hunterlodge, and which apprenticeship did you complete? What attracted you to it?
I joined Hunterlodge in September 2019 and completed a Level 3 Media and Advertising apprenticeship.
I wanted something that felt career-driven, and I’d always been interested in social media when I was younger, doing bits myself on YouTube and Instagram, so advertising and media felt like a good route to go down.
What do you remember most clearly about your first few weeks?
Probably just getting used to how fast-paced everything was – and learning all the acronyms!
It was also the first time I’d had to learn how to speak to clients properly, understand their budgets and start giving recommendations, which was all completely new to me.
What did you enjoy most about learning while working? Was there a moment when you felt you were finding your feet?
For me, I probably learnt more from actually doing the job than I did from the learning side of the apprenticeship. At Hunterlodge you get exposed to so much, so you’re constantly picking things up from the people around you.
I always remember working on Cambridge Judge and getting some really good feedback from them, as well as seeing the strong results we were delivering. That was probably one of the first times I felt like I was properly finding my feet.
Who helped you develop, and what did you learn from them?
Dan and Jenn have probably had the biggest influence on my development, as well as Reshana during my apprenticeship days, especially when we went into COVID.
I learnt a lot from Reshana and Jenn around channel knowledge, client communication and the recommendations they would put forward. From Dan, I learnt a lot about strategy, how to approach a brief and even how to put together a deck in a way that’s clear and presentable to a client.
A lot of how I work and plan now has come from watching how they approached things.
What skills or confidence did the apprenticeship give you? Is there anything you still use today?
Pretty much everything I learnt during the apprenticeship and in those early years at Hunterlodge still helps me today.
It gave me confidence in the role, but also more generally. Even moving to Australia on my own, setting up a life here, meeting new people and starting again somewhere completely different – I think a lot of that confidence has come from the experience I’ve built through work.
What did you go on to do after the apprenticeship, and what are you doing now?
After the apprenticeship, I stayed at Hunterlodge, and I’m still here now, just working remotely from Australia.
I’m probably most proud of the trust and flexibility Hunterlodge has given me to continue doing the job from the other side of the world. Being able to keep progressing in my career while also making such a big move personally has been a massive thing for me.
Looking back, did the apprenticeship take your career somewhere you hadn’t expected?
Career-wise, probably not in terms of the type of work I’m doing, because I always hoped to build a career in media.
But I definitely didn’t expect it would eventually allow me to be working from Australia while still being part of Hunterlodge, so in that sense it’s taken me somewhere I never really imagined.
What would you say to someone considering an advertising or media apprenticeship today?
I’d definitely recommend it, especially if you’re not sure the traditional university route is for you.
You can start earning straight away, learn on the job and build real experience at the same time. For me, learning from colleagues and being involved in real client work helped me develop much faster than I think I would have otherwise.
It also gives you a lot of confidence and useful life skills, not just work skills.
If you’re interested in a career in advertising, then get in touch with the Hunterlodge team
nick.friend@hunterlodge.co.uk